Turn of the Screw, Historicism Approach

The governess has a deep obsession for the little boy Miles. He is charming, handsome, and so many other things she desires in a man and an obvious sexual tension is present between the two throughout the entire novel. The governess says, "…everything but a sort of passion of tenderness for him was swept away by his presence. What I then and there took him to my heart for was something divine

“These scholars note that Victorians often bowed to conformity, concealing their true natures and tastes and pretending to adhere to social norms. Some Victorians passed themselves off as more pious or moral than they really were. But in reality, pornographic literature and prostitution were common phenomena during the late nineteenth century, showing that some Victorians only pretended to lead chaste lives.”(Joyce Moss)

Among the words used to describe the elitist Victorians, “hypocrites” may very well be the most popular. This supposed generation of “Do-Gooders,” with their heightened sense of morality, repressed sexuality and increased piety, were actually far from perfect. They had an exceptional list of standards by which they claimed to dutifully abide, but more often than not fell short of. The Victorians were, in the words of literary critic Walter Houghton, brilliant actors able to “[conceal] or [suppress] their true convictions and their natural tastes” (146). The matter of Victorian hypocrisy, as it has come to be known, has been scrutinized by a plethora of critics and authors alike. However, the moral façade that has come to be associated with the Victorian era was perhaps first criticized in Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Apart from being an exceptional Gothic work, Stevenson’s novella is an excellent critique of the hypocrisy that dominated the Victorian era. In his novella, Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson uses the characters of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to expose the double standards and moral pretensions that governed Victorian society.

Ultimately, the evidence shown above reveals the many apprehensions and difficulties women endured during the 19th century, and the implications of their actions. Through the above examples, it demonstrates that women must show certain etiquette among European society despite personal heritage. As well as one being innocent and denying social norms, there are limitations and one should be cautious to personal decisions. Similarly, young women should be more vigilant towards warnings of others and adult figures that offer helpful advice even if their nature is to be ignorant to rules. Given these points, James emphasizes in the novella ‘Daisy Miller’ the taboo of young sexuality during the Victorian era, and the strict social conventions and

No sleep could pass the governess's eyes without continually casting thought to the mere beauty of the child she had met only days earlier. The meeting with the young master Miles only stringed the governess's infatuation with the physical features of the young children. After receiving by letter that Miles was expelled from school, the governess herself found malcontent for the boy, but her first glance at the boy on meeting him cast away all previous distaste.

Interpreting The Turn of the Screw by Henry James from a Marxist point of view brings about serious social class distinctions and consequences of violation within that code. Miles and the unnamed Governess’ relationship demonstrate the wrongdoing of social and legal norms. The Governess’ indeterminate social status leave her as a forbidden woman in Victorian society taking on the role of primary caretaker to children, while Miles embodies the character of the absent master to whom the Governess feels intimately attracted. Mile’s union with rebellious, symbol of threat, Peter Quint, ultimately possesses him and lead to the breakdown of the social hierarchy. The Governess and Mile’s connection display the

Contrasts to Arthur Conan Doyle's rigid Victorian context with an environment where ‘order is the exception rather than the rule'

James' manipulation of appearances in Daisy Miller as well as other character's notions of these appearances provides us with a novella of enigmatic and fascinating characters. Daisy, the most complicated of these ambiguities, is as mysterious as she is flirtatious. James gives her a carefully constructed enigmatic quality that leaves the reader wondering what her motivations were and who she truly was. He structures the novella in such a way as to stress the insights that the supporting characters provide into Daisy's character, weather accurate or erroneous. Despite their questionable reliability, they allow James to make commentary on both European and American cultures and social class.

Primarily, The Victorian era, during which the novella was published, valued appearance and reputation. The era encouraged and strived for propriety, mainly on the surface. It rejected anything that went against society’s rigid, restraining values. It resisted anything that appeared immoral and corrupt. The era was

Novelist, Nathaniel Hawthorne, in his fictional novel, “The Scarlet Letter”, expresses a story about a young woman, Hester Prynne, back in the 1600s who was convicted of adultery and must now wear a big “A” on her chest to show those in the small Massachusetts Bay colony the sin she has committed. Hawthorne’s purpose is to illustrate the hardships Hester must go through for committing such act in the small colony where religion was put first. Hawthorne adopts a serious and pitiful tone throughout the novel to get the adult readers to sympathize with the main character, Hester Prynne. Though this book was written back in the 1800s and is based off a woman who’s shamed for adultery, this book can still relate to today’s world with some of

“The Turn of the Screw” has been analyzed multiple times and each time with a different focus. Psychoanalytic criticisms are unique in the way that it is like analyzing the plot and characters of the story the same way a therapist would would their patients. Picking apart the things that make people wonder or the things that drive them to find the truth. In the story, we’re introduced to seemingly normal characters at first. The narrator, the governess, the master, Mrs. Grose, and Flora. However, once the reader becomes accustomed to the characters and begins to pick up the plot, Henry James introduces the notion of ghosts. How these ghosts are received depends on the reader’s specific mindset. Many see them as merely figments of the governess’s

The final chapter’s of Bronte’s Jane Eyre have been a subject of discussion since it’s first publication. Many say the the ending does not fit and other argue that it does. There is a lot of evidence pointing to the latter. The conclusion reveals the fate of Mr. Rochester and Jane, Adele, and of St. John. All of the endings, a mixture of both happy and tragic, to fit with the entire story and can explained because of the Victorian era. This essay will argue that the conclusion of this novel, more specifically that Jane does go back to Mr. Rochester, is extremely fitting to both the plot and the essence of the novel.

In Henry James’ novella “Daisy Miller,” the speaker describes a woman caught between two worlds with total different expectations for woman. Throughout the book, Daisy, the main character, is criticized for her unusual behavior for a woman during her time period. Daisy acts in complete opposition of the standards society has set for women, forcing her into the label of “a pretty American flirt.” Daisy Miller’s unfavorable description brings forth disapproval of her actions from members of her society, often known as violence of manners. The violence of manners Daisy’s conduct brings upon her proves the flaws between the concept of the old world vs. new world and the objectification of women in society.

The novel is set during the Victorian era and explores the social norms, beliefs and values of popular Victorian society. The setting alternates between the east European Transylvania which represents the world as it was before the scientific and Industrial Revolution, and Victorian London where the effects of science and technological progress are evident in the social and intellectual zeitgeist of the period.

The clear distaste for Jane that saturates Mrs. Reed’s character comes as a result of her duty to take care of the child rather than wrongs committed by Eyre herself. Furthermore, Brocklehurst, the supervisor of the preparatory school, labels Jane as a troublemaker within her first two minutes of attending Lowood due to the prior descriptions of Jane related to him by Mrs. Reed. This is evident within the book as Brocklehurst instructs the teachers to “keep [their] eyes on her movements” and “weigh well her words” before even taking the time to discover Eyre’s personality (70). Jane is expected to greet such poor judgement with kind words despite its unfairness and cruelty; however, the acceptance of such treatment is also coupled with the desire to speak up for herself as seen when Jane retorts to Mrs. Reed, “How dare I..?,” after being wrongly accused (45). Jane’s conflict between attempting to decide whether she should stand up for herself or be willing to take the unjust treatment becomes clear to the audience during the development of her character in the first few chapters of the novel. Jane’s realization that she may be cared for by those she loves (both her best friend, Helen Burns, and her teacher, Mrs. Temple) allows for her to develop a greater amount of resilience to the biting comments and treatment that comes from her superiors at Lowood Preparatory School. This struggle between what is proper and what